The present invention relates to an anchor for supporting panel members on walls of structures and, more specifically, to anchor assemblies for supporting insulating panels and blankets to the walls of refractory furnaces.
The walls of refractory furnaces are lined with insulating material which is often in the form of panels or blankets. It is necessary to provide anchor means for retaining these panels or blankets on the surfaces.
One of the more common methods of anchoring the insulation is by means of a stud which is welded to the furnace wall with the insulation being impaled over the stud and with a retaining clip placed over the stud and locked into position. Such an arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,217. It is obvious that such studs can be made any length desired but it is the common practice for economic and other reasons to make them only slightly in excess of the minimum length required to retain insulation of the specified thickness. Therefore, if it is desired to increase the thickness of the insulation, the studs which are already in place cannot be used in their existing form. With the increased cost of fuels, it is becoming economically justifiable to increase the thickness of insulation in existing furnaces. The present invention deals with the problem of using existing studs and increasing their length so as to accommodate a greater thickness of insulation.